Manufactured concrete blocks are used for many different purposes, including stepping stones, earth retaining barriers, pier blocks, patios, structural walls, and the like. The manufacturing process for such concrete blocks is generally similar from product to product. The blocks are quickly formed in a mold and cured in a kiln for a predetermined period of time. Some of the resulting blocks manufactured in this way are porous and granular, such as wall blocks and pier blocks, and some blocks are dense and hard, such as patio blocks and stepping stones. Virtually any configuration or type of block may be manufactured in the same general process.
Blocks are discharged from the kiln and are typically stacked on wooden pallets. Most pallets of blocks are secured with steel straps, or the pallet may be wrapped in plastic film for safety and shipping. There is no standard size for pallets of blocks, but such pallets are generally about four feet square and about three feet in height. Individual pallets may contain hundreds of single blocks, such as stepping stones, or may contain only a few dozen larger blocks, such as retaining wall blocks. An average pallet may weigh three to four thousand pounds. Most “palletized” blocks are shipped on open flatbed trucks, and there is little or no rail cartage.
There are currently hundreds of concrete block manufacturers in the United States ranging from single site operations to very large multi-state producers. Each individual manufacturing site serves only a relatively small market area. Concrete blocks are not economically shipped over long distances due to the weight/freight cost ratio for such masonry products. As a result, each manufacturing site typically makes many different types of blocks for a local market area. This results in a very broad product line being maintained at each individual manufacturing site. In general, each site essentially duplicates the other sites in both facilities and product line. Concrete and masonry blocks are generic to the industry and are basically indistinguishable from manufacturer to manufacturer.
The industry benchmark block is the “CMU” (Concrete Masonry Unit), which has a rectangular shape with two open central apertures, and has dimensions of about eight inches by eight inches by sixteen inches. This product is generic throughout the industry and is sold in bulk stacked pallets with no associated trade name. The benchmark CMU is typically used for structural walls, and is in widespread use in commercial applications, such as shopping malls, industrial applications, such as warehouses, public applications, such as schools, and industrial applications, such as correctional facilities. Each of these applications generally requires many thousands of individual CMU blocks. Generic CMU blocks from any manufacturer may be used interchangeably in any of these applications.
A substantial volume of concrete and masonry blocks are also sold through retail building material dealers. These establishments sell to professionals as well as to “Do-It-Yourself” (“DIY”) consumers. DIY consumers may use concrete blocks and masonry blocks for various projects, including walkways (stepping stones), decorative or landscaping walls (retaining wall blocks), decks (pier blocks), foundations (mobile home or manufactured home perimeter support walls), and patios and driveways (pavers or blocks with various semi-interlocking shapes). DIY projects can require many hundreds of individual concrete or masonry blocks per project. However, some uses, such as small planters or steps, may require substantially fewer blocks. Generic blocks from any manufacturer may be interchangeably used in any of these DIY applications. As referred to herein, the terms “concrete blocks,” “masonry product,” “CMU,” and “manufactured block” are used interchangeably to describe blocks in all applications.
As mentioned above, concrete blocks are sold in bulk. In retail sales, such blocks may be purchased directly from the shipping pallet on which the blocks were delivered to the retail establishment. Concrete blocks are not individually boxed, packaged, wrapped or bagged, and bulk-stacked pallets are the industry standard. A typical pallet may or may not include the manufacturer's name or logo. The pallets are returnable for credit, and are generally interchangeable between products and manufacturers.
Concrete blocks have a relatively low dollar value in relation to weight and volume. Due to the variety and sizes of concrete block, a large number of individual pallets are required for an adequate retail store inventory. Each pallet may require approximately fifty cubic feet of store space, but is of a lower dollar value than an equal volume of most other retail products. As a retail sales category, concrete blocks are generally regarded as a “high space/low gross” sales item in retail establishments.
For the sale of a small quantity of concrete blocks, such as blocks for a planter or steps, one known procedure used in some retail stores requires the consumer to physically load the concrete blocks onto carts or trolleys. The blocks are then manually moved to the POS (point of sale) terminal for purchase, and then to the loading area where the blocks are loaded into the customer's vehicle. This procedure creates several problems with respect to retail sales of concrete blocks. First, the blocks cannot be automatically tabulated at the POS terminal because they are not individually priced or labeled. As mentioned above, concrete blocks are sold in bulk directly from the shipping pallet, with no identifying packaging. The normal check-out system comes to a halt and the blocks must be physically counted, visually identified, and manually priced. This is difficult because the blocks are typically heavy and cumbersome, and may have to be repeatedly handled for proper identification.
Additionally, problems occur because concrete blocks are typically sold in large unit quantities. Retaining walls, deck supports, patios, and driveways often require hundreds of individual blocks to be sold as a single purchase. Moving large quantities of blocks through store aisles is difficult for the consumer and potentially hazardous. Carts or trolleys can be overloaded or improperly loaded, and can overturn or spill. Hundreds of concrete blocks, often weighing thousands of pounds in aggregate cannot be efficiently moved through the stores aisles in carts or trolleys.
Due to the high space/low gross ratio, and the typical large quantity purchases involved, a second known process has developed for the retail sales of concrete blocks. Some retailers simply move the concrete block pallets to a peripheral site outside the store, such as to a portion of the parking lot or a fenced-in “lawn and garden” area. Concrete blocks are typically weather resistant and do not deteriorate when exposed to the elements. Valuable inside store space is not used, and the blocks are not typically “shoplifted.” In this process, consumers are directed to the peripheral areas and load the blocks directly into their vehicles.
Although this second known process may eliminate the need to manually move the blocks through the store, it creates another problem, namely, that the concrete blocks do not pass through the POS terminal for tabulation. Rather, they are directly loaded into the consumer vehicle outside the store, thus by-passing the normal check-out system. This requires store personnel to escort the consumer back into the store to complete the sale. However, this procedure renders identification of the already loaded blocks even more problematic because there is no actual product at the POS terminal for proper identification of the block. In these cases, a sale may easily be incorrectly processed.
All of the above problems are a direct result of concrete block products not being labeled for identification and pricing. The present invention corrects these failures for both in-store and peripheral area sales of concrete blocks.
Most manufacturers that provide products to the retail marketplace assign a UPC (Universal Product code) number to each item they produce, which is typically marked on the packaging, wrapping, or label of each individual unit. The UPC number is encoded as a series of spaced apart vertical lines, commonly referred to as a barcode. The UPC number, in the form of a barcode, is recognizable to an electronic system or computer, and identifies the product, which is then used to ascertain its retail price. Such electronic systems are based on in-store computers, laser optical scanners, and the product identification number or UPC. The POS terminal typically includes a laser optical scanner, and is connected to a sales register or money drawer, which sales register is further coupled to the in-store computer.
The UPC barcode label provides a substantial advantage to the retailer. It eliminates the need to manually price each item, which translates into substantial cost savings in terms of personnel time and related expenses. The UPC barcode label on a package or product is integral to the efficient operation of a modern retail store, and is a key aspect of inventory control, point of sale transactions, and reported profitability.
For inventory control, most building material retailers maintain a certain minimum quantity for each product. When that minimum is reached, a purchase order is created to replenish the stock. The purchase order includes the UPC identifier, the quantity required, and typically, the desired delivery date. When new stock is delivered to the store, it is first entered into the store computer at the point of receiving. The information regarding the new shipment is quickly entered using the UPC barcode and purchase order. The in-store computer adds the new stock to the existing store inventory for “real time” inventory control. The new stock is then transferred to a designated location for consumer purchase.
For point of sale transactions in many modern building retailing stores, consumers collect products in carts or small trolleys and proceed to the POS terminal to complete the purchase. The UPC barcode on the product is scanned, and the computer identifies the item and its assigned retail price. Multiple items of the same product are automatically tabulated and totaled. The retail prices are displayed and collated by the sales register for a final cost. In most cases, the cashier does not know the price of any given item (except to the extent that the price is displayed once the item is scanned) and does not count the items. The POS terminal also computes the amount tendered by the customer and automatically displays the correct amount of change. Most modern retail stores are heavily dependent on such electronic systems to facilitate consumer purchases.
For reported profitability, the UPC code is part of another important electronic process that occurs at the POS terminal. As each item is scanned, it is automatically deducted from the recorded inventory. The daily inventory depletion of every product is monitored through the scanning of the UPC barcode, which in turn, provides the data for a purchase order to replenish the stock. The use of the UPC identifier is also integral to in-store accounting, product returns and vendor sales data through EDI (Electronic Data Interchange) systems. Through the use of the UPC barcode, the in-store computer may continuously monitor product turnover ratios (gross margins), out of stock items (lost sales), and shrinkage (theft), and thus the profitability of each item in the store. This electronically generated data, which is dependent on the UPC identifier, provides the fundamental basis for the reported profitability of the store.
However, in the concrete block manufacturing industry, the accepted opinion is that concrete blocks cannot be effectively labeled, thus precluding the use of UPC encoding, and negating the established electronic format of many retail establishments. Concrete blocks are stocked by most building material retailers because they are a high-demand DIY product with a wide array of DIY uses. However, they are treated as an anomaly by the retailers and are dealt with on a manual basis instead of the above-described electronic basis.
With regard to the lack of labeling and product identification for concrete blocks, some blocks are too porous and granular for positive adhesion of a typical adhesive label. Alternatively, some blocks are too hard and dense for positive attachment of a label using mechanical means, such as a staple. Concrete blocks also have textured surfaces, such as an exposed aggregate or machine-split side, have different moisture contents due to various curing times, and typically have a fine coating of residual concrete “dust” resulting from the manufacturing environment, all of which further circumvent the positive attachment of labels. Non-positive attachment of labels results in defective labeling.
Block sizes range from small bricks (concrete or clay) up to large retaining wall blocks. The blocks may be manufactured in a variety of shapes, including square, rectangle, trapezoid, pyramid and many irregular polygonal shapes. Designs may include blocks with internal hollow cavities, integrally formed recesses, non-planar surfaces, radius corners, beveled edges, and the like.
Although concrete blocks are mass produced on rapid production lines, they are the antithesis of a “standardized” product. Such a variety of irregular and different product configurations, typically made by each manufacturer in a local market area, leads to intractable problems for the positive application of labels. The standard methodologies of product labeling is defeated, and labels cannot be positively attached to blocks because of the gross irregularities of products. Labels that “fall off” due to non-positive attachment are contrary to the intended process of labeling. Further, direct printing on the irregular surfaces of blocks is not feasible because the surfaces of the blocks are not sufficiently smooth or uniform to receive applied ink.
Finally, manufactured concrete blocks are shipped on open flatbed trucks and stored outside, often for long periods of time, which subjects any label to adverse environmental conditions. As mentioned above, the manufacturing process typically leaves a fine coating or layer of residue concrete “dust,” which further inhibits positive labeling with adhesive or glue. Even absent such dust, some blocks are too porous and granular for use with a typical adhesive label. Additionally, some concrete blocks are too hard or dense to accept alternative attachment means, such as a staple or track. Direct printing of labels on blocks is not feasible because the external surfaces of the blocks are not sufficiently smooth or uniform, and such blocks are typically stored outside, often for long periods of time, where they are exposed to the elements, which further negatively affects positive attachment of labels.
Given the importance of the UPC barcode system for modern retailers, the failure of the industry to provide an adequate system for the labeling of concrete blocks using UPC barcode labels is problematic. As mentioned above, most building material retailers stock a variety of manufactured concrete blocks, which are sold in bulk directly from a shipping pallet, and are not individually packaged, wrapped or labeled. As such, concrete blocks in retail stores do not include a UPC barcode identifier. This is contrary to the established electronic format of most modern retailers, and is disruptive to the operation of the store.
Because concrete blocks cannot be identified by the standard electronic systems of a retail store, some retailers have been forced to adopt alternate processes for managing the sale of concrete blocks. In the beginning of such known processes, when replenishment shipments of unlabeled concrete blocks are delivered to a store, they must be manually entered into the computer system at the point of receiving. Manual entry slows the receiving process, requires additional personnel and creates delivery delays and errors.
Once the concrete blocks have been stocked, the above-described problems of unlabeled product at the POS terminal occur. An alternative known method of sales used by some retailers is to place a loose-leaf notebook by the POS terminal. The notebook may contain sample drawings of concrete blocks, their retail price, and a number equivalent to a UPC identifier. The cashier then visually compares the blocks being purchased to the drawings in the notebook to identify the blocks and establish the retail price. The blocks are physically counted, and the sale is manually entered into the POS terminal. On some occasions, other store personnel are requested by the cashier to locate an identifying number or unit price. This is very inefficient and typically results in pricing errors, inventory distortions, misstated sales reports and customer dissatisfaction.
Due to the lack of a labeling on concrete blocks, a variety of errors can occur when the cashier manually enters such a sale into the POS terminal or register. First, the blocks being purchased can be visually misidentified, particularly with regard to their size. Second, the item number as read from the notebook may be incorrectly entered into the sales register, particularly through transposition of digits. Third, the blocks may be improperly priced, particularly if the notebook is not current. Fourth, the blocks may be inaccurately tabulated, particularly through miscounting of multiple units. Any of the above-mentioned errors will result in a distortion of the inventory in the store, and any error in pricing or counting will misstate the sales and profit of the store.
A need exists for a system and method to identify and manage the sale of concrete blocks utilizing standard UPC barcodes for concrete blocks.